Jobs with Justice, Washington State Chapter records, 1983-2016 (bulk 1993-2007)

Washington State Jobs With Justice (JWJ) is the Washington state chapter of the national Jobs With Justice organization, established in 1993. The national Jobs With Justice (JWJ) was founded in 1987 as a coalition-based organization dedicated to advancing workers' rights and promoting economic justice through grassroots organizing, advocacy, and coalition-building. Since its inception, the national organization has mobilized over 100,000 individuals to advocate for fair wages, decent working conditions, unionization, and broader economic justice.

The national JWJ has played a significant role in addressing labor rights issues within the context of social justice, immigrant rights, healthcare reform, and global trade policies. It has engaged in legislative advocacy, public education, and media outreach to combat union-busting, highlight the inadequacies of U.S. labor laws, and promote progressive labor policies. In 2003, JWJ expanded its scope by merging with American Rights at Work, an advocacy organization focused on research, public education, and policy reform to support unionization and collective bargaining.

The Washington state chapter of JWJ included organizing committees in Seattle, Pierce County, and Whatcom County, which coordinated efforts to support both national and local campaigns. Key areas of focus included healthcare and welfare reform, union organizing, fair trade, immigrant rights, opposition to the Iraq War, living wage initiatives, environmental justice, and student organizing at the University of Washington. The Washington chapter also actively campaigned against Republican politicians, including Slade Gorton and Newt Gingrich, as part of its broader advocacy for progressive policies and workers' rights.

Through its work, Washington State JWJ has contributed to building strategic alliances, cultivating local leadership, and strengthening labor and social justice movements in the region, aligning with the national organization's mission to foster economic justice and workers' rights.

Notable actions and campaigns included:

• Workers Rights Boards: Community forums for workers to bring complaints against employers for violating their rights on the job.
• Justice for Janitors: Part of a national campaign that raised wages and improved conditions for immigrant workers, bolstered by community, faith, and student solidarity.
• Change Walmart: Part of a national campaign to advance policies supporting workers' rights and collective bargaining while addressing broader systemic inequities.
• Grinch of the Year: An annual holiday party key to JWJ's campaigns and fundraising efforts in which attendees voted on a "Grinch of the Year."

The Tacoma and Olympia chapters later formed the South Sound JWJ Organizing committee, which disbanded around 2024. Washington State JWJ disbanded around 2012.